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When Aly Spaltro recently signed with Mom + Pop Music and gave us a taste of what she had in store for us on After, I had a sense that this album would be something special. In an age in which the concept of a cohesive album feels sometimes forgotten, a single becomes what we look to in order to gauge the worth of an artists’ unreleased work. “Billions of Eyes,” in all its garage spunk and jangly guitars, is misleading in that its warmth and exciting sound may convince listeners that this is as good as it gets for Lady Lamb The Beekeeper, but as a true single should be, it is merely a hearty slice of After.
This album starts incredibly strong, with its first four tracks each battling to be your favorite tune. “Vena Cava” opens, immediately showcasing Spaltro’s bluesy and powerful vocals that Then you’re hit smack in the face with pop goodness from the aforementioned single “Billions of Eyes,” which is both a catchy and emphatically well written track about finding positivity amidst stress. “Violet Clementine,” comes next, mixing it up with its theatrically folksy roots, and even bringing in some killer horns near its end, wowing you with all this song has to offer. “Heretic,” the fourth track on this album, is four minutes and fifteen seconds of sunshine, alternating between the glossy chorus that begs you to sing along with Spaltro as she hits the notes effortlessly and the more grounded verses in which the rambunctious guitars take over.
But Lady Lamb doesn’t stop after this ridiculously infectious line up of hits. No, the rest of the album keeps on this pace, throwing you more and more tunes to fall in love with; there isn’t even a mildly mediocre song on here. After transitions through several genres, from outright garage/jangly pop, to more simmering percussive based jams like “Spat Out Spit.” I don’t mean to downplay pop music, but there’s a craftsmanship here that you wouldn’t expect from such euphonic pop music. Each instrument and note feels right in the mix—it’s pretty and easy to listen to, but neither vapid nor trite. The lyrics and the seemingly endless combinations of instrumentation and Spaltro’s enrapturing vocals prevent you from ever straying from the music.
After is everything at once: one moment it’s soft and delicate, the next it’s a gale force wind of sputtering rock, but above all, it’s all a delight to listen to. With every trip through its collection of tracks that work together quite well, I find myself latching on to more of the tracks than the previous listen. I expect this album to find itself on top of year-end lists, as Lady Lamb The Beekeeper has knocked it out of the park with this one, giving you pop hooks as well as depth of sound. This is one of those records you will tell all your friends about.
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